I watched the show "The Frugal Gourmet" for years before Jeff Smith (R.I.P.) was brought down by certain allegations. I still don't believe the allegations. I loved the show, and collected all of Smith's cookbooks. An idée fixe in the show was that a chef must use the freshest ingredients in order to make the best dishes. "Froogy" often went to Pike Place market in Seattle to obtain his fresh ingredients. I always wanted to go ever since I started watching the show.I finally had an opportunity, and it was a fantastic experience. First let me say that one of the things I love about Europe is the smell of foods when out walking in the streets. I have experienced many American cities, but they are mostly absent these types of odors. In France, fish smells like the sea (not "fishy"). In America, it doesn't smell at all, it is absent odor. Where did it go? Is it natural for fish to be absent odor? How did the fish become sans odor? Anyway, Seattle, around and in the area of Pike Place had all kinds of real odors that brought me to a temporary state of euphoria. I could smell flowers, fish, spices, vegetables, fruits, roasted meats, the yeasty smell of baking, and the nearby Puget Sound.
Of course, as exciting as it was to see all this freshness, I couldn't exactly wrap a fish up and take it home, as much as I would have liked to do so. Instead I purchased raw hard honey, and hard lavender honey, and an infused balsamic vinegar. One week later, and I have almost finished the raw hard honey which I have been taking in my morning tea, and every cup reminds me of Seattle.
2 comments:
First off...OMG! A Blog entry? Really??? I think I hear hell freezing at this moment.
Second. Rip Froogy. I do not particularly know Froogy, or the show, and have no clue what the allegations are. So, no help there. Also, what is raw hard honey? I have never been to Seattle, although I would like to go one day. I like smells, but not so much the *fishy* smell. Oh, and we have the fishy smell here, especially here in OKC. Go over to that Asian Market on 28 & Clasen --you can smell that funk in the parking lot my friend. It permeated my pores and burned my nostrils.
I never pictured you as a Morning Tea kind of dude, Proofy. Thanks for sharing about Froogy, Proofy.
Hey Swirl Girl.
First off, I hate the "fishy" smell at 28 and Classen. I work on 28th and Classen, and can sometimes smell it in my office. Seafood should smell fresh like the sea, not "fishy", as that is an indication the fish has started to break down. A good way to tell if it is fresh is to look at the eye which should not be dried up; thus in many super markets you never see the head as they want to trick you into not really knowing how fresh the fish is. Also, fish and other meats are often wiped with a bleach water solution to keep the smell down and trick you into thinking it may be fresh. Okay, that is prob. more than you were looking for.
Morning tea is part of my attempts to cut sodas out of my diet. I especially like English Breakfast tea. I have been drinking it at work because the coffee here is horrible.
Oh, I almost forgot. Raw Hard Honey is honey that is not heated to clarify it, and it naturally crystalizes. It is "cloudy" and contains enzymes and pollen that are destroyed in the cooking process. It is much easier to handle than "liquid" honey. I love to get a good piece of bread, and spread butter, raw honey, and top with walnuts. Delicious.
Post a Comment